Job fair for veterans canceled

Jason Wells

A job fair for military veterans planned for Friday at the Glendale National Guard Armory has been canceled due to what officials said was a lack of uniformed personnel to handle the event.

The fair, organized by the California Economic Development Department, was aimed at connecting veterans with potential employers — including Macy’s, public safety agencies and staffing firm Manpower — and other job services, such as resume help and interviewing techniques.

But in a notice sent out by organizers this week, “circumstances beyond our control” had forced them to cancel the event.

Maj. Jonathan Shiroma, a spokesman for the California National Guard, said in an email that if a commander believes there aren’t enough available uniformed service personnel to escort non-military visitors at a base or facility, they have a right to cancel an event due to security measures.

“This is precisely what happened in the case of the Glendale Armory,” he said.

Job fair organizers pledged to schedule a similar event in the future.

“We intend to make our next event spectacular,” Olabisi Oyewo, a Glendale workforce representative for the state Economic Development Department, said in announcing the cancellation. “We hope you can join us then.”